These Google, Apple, And Facebook Employees Ride Their Bikes For 1.5 to 3 Hours To Get To Work

We've all heard about the luxurious shuttle buses that transport Silicon Valley employees to and from San Francisco.

But that's not the only way employees at top notch tech companies get around.

SF2G is a loosely organized group of bikers who commute together from San Francisco to their respective tech offices in Silicon Valley.

We first heard about the group thanks to Matt Sarnecki, who wrote a great piece on SF2G back in 2011.

"All of the original SF2Gers were passionate about cycling on their own and we all lived in San Francisco," Brett Lider, a Google employee and one of the original members of SF2G, tells Business Insider. "We were either driving, or taking Caltrain or using corporate shuttles to get to work. And I think it’s fine to use any of those transit methods a reasonable amount of time, but having to use them all the time was kind of wearing on us."

Every day, cyclists will "call" rides in a Google group to notify SF2G members where they plan to meet, the ride distance, speed, and difficulty level. Depending on how fast you ride, the journey can take anywhere from one and a half to three hours.

On any given day, there are anywhere between two and four rides leaving San Francisco. The number of people who show up to each ride vary, but Lider says a regular weekday ride could have up to 20 or 30 people.

Lider has been doing the ride for about eight years now. He says there are three main things that keep him feeling rewarded and coming back: the sense of community, the environment, and the health benefits on both the physical and psychological level.

"The psychological benefits are really kind of profound in terms of getting to work under your own power," Lider says. "Having accomplished something really tangible before you step into the office is very calming to me and kind of puts things in perspective, and allows me to be a more centered person in my work day."

SF2G began in 2005 when Scott Crosby joined Google. Since then, it has grown to more than 2,000 subscribers. To be clear, these aren't just Google employees. They work at various companies including Facebook, Oracle, Apple, Intuit, and even Stanford Hospital.

With Bike to Work Day coming up on May 9, SF2G is expecting about 400 or 500 people. If you want to join them, they'll be leaving from 24th and Mission Plaza in San Francisco. Head on over to SF2G to learn more.